


Defiant Sons

by twinsarein



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Reality, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-12
Updated: 2010-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-09 16:06:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/89200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinsarein/pseuds/twinsarein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was written for tallihensia , as she bought a story from me in the first Lightning Round of help_haiti. Her prompt was: "After yet another near-death experience, Lex looks around himself and says, 'Fuck it. I don't feel like dying anymore for something I never wanted in the first place.' And walks away from LuthorCorp. Clark starts to miss him and then sets out to find him."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defiant Sons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tallihensia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tallihensia/gifts).



> Spoilers right through the end of Season Two.

Lex looks at the bullet ridden front door of his home and shakes his head. Another near-death experience. He’s so tired of having to look over his shoulders all the time, wondering when the next person with a grudge against his father is going to pop out of the woodwork.  "Fuck it. I don't feel like dying anymore for something I never wanted in the first place. C’mon, Clark. I’ll take you home."  

Clark turns quickly to follow his friend to the garage. “What do you mean? Are you…going to leave?”

Pulling himself up into the driver’s seat of the Ford truck he’d originally bought for Clark, the one never registered under the Luthor name, Lex looks over at the brunette just getting in on the other side “I really think I have to, Clark. How many times have you saved my life now, in just over the year since I moved to Smallville? It’s getting ridiculous. Most of them are after me because of my father, and I’m just not willing to continue taking the fall for his decisions. I never wanted to go into business anyway; I’ve always wanted to be a scientist and I think it’s time for me to revisit that dream.”

Lex is flattered by the crestfallen look on Clark’s face. “I don’t want you to leave, Lex, but…I guess I get why you want to. Do you…know where you’ll go?”

Stepping down on the accelerator, Lex thinks about that for a few minutes. It’s a good question. He doesn’t want to be found after all. At least, not at first. “I do have a place in mind. It’s secluded and untraceable by my father. It’s in the mountains, near a lake, a beautiful place. I know you’d like it.”

Glancing over at his friend again, Lex almost smiles at the woebegone look on Clark’s face. No one had ever looked so sad at the thought of him leaving. The thing about Clark is that Lex knows the feeling is genuine. “Don’t look so sad. Once the furor over my disappearance has died down and my father’s accepted my decision, I’ll let you know where I am, maybe send you a cell phone so we can talk once in a while.”

Clark clasps his hands together, twisting them together as he shrugs his broad shoulders. “Yeah, it won’t be the same though. You’ll be gone, and I’ll still be here. You make life more interesting. Even getting a cup of coffee is more fun when you’re around to get it with me. I like talking to you, and listening to you, too. You always have interesting things to say. I’m never bored when you’re around.”

Lex draws in a breath at what it sounds like Clark is saying. He knows he can’t be correct; the boy’s in love with the ever-present Lana after all. Pulling up near the barn, Lex gets out of the truck and stares at Clark as he also gets out and moves towards Lex.

After a moment he decides he doesn’t care if he understood correctly or not. He’ll take the fantasy. It isn’t as if he believes he’ll actually see Clark again, after all. In spite of what he said, Lionel doesn’t give up, and if Lex resurfaced, Lionel would be there immediately trying to bring him back to heel.

With that thought in mind, Lex reaches up and slides a hand into the hair he’s always wanted to feel and angles Clark’s head down a little. He’s surprised by the lack of resistance, even when he fits his mouth over the younger man’s. He traces the seam of Clark’s lips with his tongue and is surprised again when they part. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lex dips his tongue inside and gently caresses Clark’s with it. Not daring to do any more, Lex pulls back with a last nip at the strong chin. “Good-bye, Clark. Take care of yourself.” 

Turning, he swiftly steps up into the Ford and does a fast u-turn, refusing to glance in his rear-view mirror. Not even when he impossibly hears Clark calling his name, voice questioning, unbelieving. 

At the end of the Kent’s drive, Lex makes a split second decision. There’s nothing he needs back at the mansion, and he doesn’t really want to see the bullet-ridden door again. Actually, he realizes that it might not have been that split-second. He must have made the decision before driving to the Kents or he never would have taken the truck. Turning the vehicle in the opposite direction of home, Lex is soon passing the town limits of Smallville.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++

_Many months later_

Lex is enjoying his life for the first time. The last time he can remember anything close to this level of contentment was when Julian was still alive, although kissing Clark on that last day in Smallville had come pretty close, as well.

He’s barely left his cabin since he arrived months ago. He’d come straight here, after making one stop to pick up some papers to establish another identity for himself and another stop to load the truck up with food and supplies. He thought about taking a more circuitous route, to make sure he wasn’t followed, but decided it was better to get where he was going before his father even figured out he was missing.

The lab had already been well stocked years ago by his mother, a birthday gift during her last year of life, one she’d never told Lionel about. The piece of property had belonged to her family, and she’d had them deed it to a name unrelated to anyone in the family. She’d told Lex it was their secret, since Lionel didn’t approve of his interest. The original plan had been to get away during an extended business trip in Europe his father had planned for the summer months. His mother’s health had deteriorated too much at that point to go, however.

In spite of his disappointment at the time, it had worked to his advantage now. It meant that he didn’t have to go into public looking for what he needed. He’d been able to begin experimenting right away. His father might have tried to keep Lex from being a scientist, but he hadn’t been able to stop his son’s mind from working. There had been several experiments he’d been thinking of for months before he’d ever been exiled to Smallville. 

There were even more he’d thought of after arriving in Smallville and experiencing its particular brand of strangeness for himself. However, he hadn’t taken the time to collect any meteor rocks on his way out of town, so those experiments would have to wait. He’s really cut himself off from the outside world, and he doesn’t miss is at all.

He doesn’t even miss people. Except for one. It doesn’t help that those last moments keep running through his mind, over and over. How soft Clark’s lips had felt, how they’d opened for him, how Clark had decidedly **not** pulled away. He’s spent entirely too much time thinking about that kiss in the months since he’d left, both in bed and out.

Several hours later, Lex wraps up his current experiment and pours himself a scotch. It’s become a ritual to go outside and watch the sun set. They aren’t particularly beautiful at this high elevation, but it’s been a peaceful way to end each day. He turns to face the dying rays of the sun and enjoys the changing color of the sky both above and below it. Every once in a while he takes a sip of scotch.

When the sun is halfway down, Lex sees movement in the sky, but before he can register that it might be danger approaching. It’s right in front of him. Or rather, **he** is right in front of him.

Lex isn’t sure what to do at first. He wants to beam with the pleasure of seeing him again and drag him down to earth for a bone-crushing hug. He wants to ask a thousand questions, even though he knows they won’t get answered. He wants to yell for all the months of lies and berate him for the trustworthy face that hides such a deceitful nature. Instead, when faced with an uncertain situation, Lex does what he always has. He plays his cards close to the vest. “Hello, Clark.”

“Lex, I can’t believe I finally found you!”

Lex looks up at his hovering friend and continues to keep his expression carefully blank. “You do know that you’re defying the laws of gravity right now, don’t you.”

Smiling down at Lex, Clark shrugs, which makes him bob in the air a little oddly. “Yeah, well, I never studied law, so I guess it’s okay.”

Lex has to bite back a smile. “I don’t know what’s more disturbing right now – seeing you fly or that I know, thanks to all the Saturday morning cartoons you made me watch, that that’s a Bugs Bunny reference.” Staring up at the still hovering brunette, Lex decides to go with being happy to see his friend. It’s Clark after all, no matter what. “It’s good to see you, Clark.”

Clark’s expression also turns more solemn. “I missed you a lot, Lex. I’m glad I finally found you.”

Stepping closer, Lex walks all the way around his floating friend. “Is there a reason you’re still in the air? Did you develop some sort of god complex since I left – you enjoy people craning their necks up to look at you?”

Lex’s lips twitch in amusement when the only person he’s ever seen defy the laws of physics so completely blushes.

“No! Of course not. I just…I’m not very good at landings. I was hoping you’d turn away at some point so I wouldn’t have to crash right in front of you.”

Lex can’t contain a laugh at the embarrassed admission. “My best friend, whom I haven’t seen in about three quarters of a year, just shows up, is **flying**, and you expect me to turn away?!”

If anything, Clark’s blush only intensifies. “Yeah, I guess that is too much to expect. Alright, I guess—”

“Wait! Can you feel the different wind currents on your skin? If you can, try to find a down draft and use that to help guide you to the ground.”

Clark nods. After closing his eyes for a few seconds, he starts descending. His landing is wobbly and he goes to his knees, leaving two deep indentations in the soil, but when he stands he has a huge smile on his face. “That’s my best landing ever. Thanks, Lex.”

Brushing the dirt off his pants, Clark then surges forward and enfolds Lex in his arms and squeezes tight enough to make Lex worry for his ribs. However, he eases off after just a few seconds, but doesn’t let do. Instead he lays a cheek against Lex’s shoulder and releases a deep breath.

Lex isn’t sure why he has an armful of relaxed farmboy, but he lets himself enjoy it for a few moments before pulling away and backing up a few feet and shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks. He forces himself to ignore the noise of protest Clark makes. “I’m not sure whether to address your flying or why you’re here at all.”

The focused look he sends Clark, doesn’t make the boy stammer and search for a lie as it usually does. “I can help with that, Lex. If I tell you about the flying, that’ll also tell you why I’m here.”

Lex narrows his eyes intently. He’s fairly sure he’s going to get some kind of run-around, as usual.

Clark licks his lips and moves a step closer. “I woke up one morning three feet over my mattress. It was shortly after you’d moved to Smallville. It freaked me out, but I wouldn’t have thought too much more about it. Then it happened again and again. I would’ve kept ignoring it, except…you left. As first one month passed, then two, I realized that if I ever wanted to see you again, I’d have to find you myself.”

Clark looks at Lex accusatorily. “You never had any intention of contacting me again, as you promised, did you?” Lex found the flash of Clark’s eyes at his slight nod of agreement quite distracting, but luckily Clark was too focused on his story to notice. “I thought so. I figured that if I could float, then I could probably learn to direct it. It’s what I’ve done with all my other abilities. Flying was definitely the hardest to figure out, which might have something to do with my fear of heights. Whenever I got discouraged or wanted to give up, however, I just thought about how much I wanted to see you again. I knew flying would make things easier than running, especially with where you described your place as being. A bird’s eye view would really come in handy. Once I started figuring it out, Mom and Dad made me promise to wait until the school year ended. I’ve been looking for you whenever I could since we were let out for the summer.”

Lex’s heart is beating a little faster after Clark’s admittance of the truth, but even more at how much Clark says he’d wanted to see Lex again. Still, Lex figures that the other shoe is going to drop at some point. Before it does, he wants to discover how far this honesty extends. “So, you can fly. What else can you do?”

“I’m really strong, I’m very hard to hurt, I’m fast, I can see through stuff, and I can set fire to things with my eyes.”

Lex blinks a little at the easy admittance, only once he looks at Clark, he wonders if it was as easy as his friend made it sound. The younger man is practically gnawing at his lower lip and his hands are twisting together. Looking at him, he shelves the other questions burning to be released, and refocuses on why Clark’s here. “So you’ve found me. Now what?”

“I…” Clark looks confused and takes another step towards Lex. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. You’ve found me, so what do you expect to happen next – are you going to try and convince me to go back with you, do you need my help with something, are you going to let my father know where I am?”

“I…” Clark runs a hand through his hair and looks agitated. “God, Lex. No, to all of that. I understand why you left. I told you that the day you left. I just wanted to find you, to see you again, to know that you were okay and safe.”

Lex takes his hands out of his pockets and takes two measured paces towards Clark, stopping only at the outer edges of his friend’s personal space. “Please, Clark. Give me credit for more intelligence that that. No one goes to that much trouble just to check on someone. If you’ve been looking for me since school got out, then you’ve been looking for two months. What could possibly be—”

Between one word and the next, Lex finds himself pressed into the side of his cottage, twenty-feet away, with the arm of an angry farmboy pressed like a steel band across his chest, face just inches from his own. “You kissed me, and then left. You left, Lex. How could you do that? You were going to take all the color with you when you went anyway, why did you have go and show me what else I’d be missing right before you left? Why, Lex?”

The last is accompanied by a little shake of the arm over his chest that nevertheless feels like it rattles Lex’s bones. Before he can recover enough to answer, he feels little kisses being rained all around his face. Struggling to get his hands up past the arm still across his chest, Lex finally manages to frame Clark’s face. He strokes his thumbs over Clark’s closed eyes in an effort to calm him down. “Shh, Clark. It’s okay. I’m sorry I hurt you so much. I had no idea… I knew I’d never see you again, so I figured if you hated me for the kiss, it wouldn’t matter. I had no idea that you felt anything for me other than friendship.”

Finally, Clark kisses taper off as Lex’s words appear to get through. He lowers his arm and then he rests his forehead against Lex’s. He takes a few deep breaths before he speaks. “I didn’t know either, not until you kissed me. Then everything seemed right, seemed to make sense. And then you left. You took off out of our yard, and I just stood there in shock. Not for long, though. I ran to the mansion, but you never returned. I waited there until the next day, keeping out of your dad’s way, and I went back every day for weeks hoping there’d be some news, but there never was. That’s when I knew I’d have to do my best to find you.”

Taking his hand, Lex leads Clark into the house and has him sit on the couch. Lex settles next to him, twisting his body on the cushion so he can see him better. “Look, Clark, I’m sorry my decision to leave caused you so much uncertainty. I should have been there. Maybe it’s time I stop running away from my father and confront him. I can come back—”

“No!” Clark’s emphatic answer startles Lex into silence, and Clark visibly struggles to control calm himself down. “No, you don’t want to come back, Lex. You need to do what’s best for you, and you’re right, your father is bad news. You’re safe…”

Lex’s hand on Clark knee causes him to hesitate. “Clark, what’s my father done?”

Clark remains stubbornly silent. 

“How are your parents?”

A big smile crosses Clark’s face. “They’re great. My mom’s pregnant.”

“That’s wonderful news, Clark. I’ve very happy for them and you, but if he hasn’t done something to your parents… How’s Smallville?”

Clark looks down at his hands. “It’s still there.”

Reaching out, Lex grasps Clark’s chin and brings his face back up. “What’s he done, Clark?”

Tearing his chin away, Clark stands up and paces to one of the many large picture windows this house contains. “If I tell you, it’ll be like that’s what I wanted to find you for all along. You won’t believe that I just wanted to find you so I could see you again. Maybe you’d feel like you had to come back, too, and I don’t want you to have to see your father again before you’re ready.”

Walking over to Clark, Lex takes one of the larger hands in his own and laces their fingers together. “You’ve given me ample proof for why you wanted to find me. I’m not going to doubt that no matter what you tell me. As to my father, I really do think it’s time I stopped running from him. I should never have given him that much power over me to begin with. Besides, I have a pretty good idea of what’s he’s done. He closed the plant, didn’t he?”

Face falling, Clark nods. “Yeah, a few months ago. The workers tried to arrange a buy-out, but could only scrape up about half the money.”

“Right. So, you’ll take me back with you, and then…” Lex trails off in horror as Clark’s back bows outward and a grimace of pain contorts his face. A glow comes from under his shirt and Clark falls to his knees groaning in agony.

Just as suddenly as it began, it ends and Lex stares down in shock at the young man panting from the release of pain.

Swallowing hard enough for Lex to hear it, Clark falls back against the window, and bringing his knees up he slumps over them.

“What the hell was that, Clark?” Lex is proud of himself for not yelling that as he wanted to. Instead, the question comes out evenly, almost calmly.

Clark looks up at the other man, the rims of his eyes a little red and definitely wet. He huffs out a quiet laugh. “A present from my father. My biological one.”

Reaching out, Lex hesitates before he actually touches. “May I…see it?”

Letting his actions answer for him, Clark pulls up his t-shirt. 

Lex sucks in a breath in shock at the large, raised scar covering the majority of his friend’s chest. “Jesus! How did he…never mind, it doesn’t matter right now. Does it…flare up like that often?”

Shaking his head in the negative, Clark lowers his shirt. “It’s unpredictable, but no more than a few times a week, generally.”

“God, Clark! Why?”

Clark lips twist wryly and looks at Lex pointedly. “He’s trying to convince me to be someone I don’t want to be.”

Lex barks out a laugh then leans down impulsively to press a quick kiss against Clark’s closed lips. “God, Clark, I have so many questions! I’m guessing that with every one thing you’ve told me there’s three things you haven’t.”

Running a hand through his hair, Clark nods tiredly. “You’d be guessing right. I could tell you about mysterious caves I have a connection to, exploding spaceships emptying Crater Lake, and the rest of my secrets if you wanted. I told myself when I found you again, that I wouldn’t keep anything from you.”

Clark’s hints make Lex burn with curiosity, but one glance at his wrung out friend convinces him to wait. “We’re quite a pair with domineering fathers trying to control our lives, aren’t we? How about we go back to Smallville and show them together that they don’t have nearly the control over us as they’d like to think they do? You can help me from succumbing to my father’s particular brand of madness…”

Clark glances up as Lex hesitates, and sees the questioning look in his eyes.  Reaching out, he grabs one of the other man’s hands and gives it a squeeze. “Yeah, and you can help me learn how to better control my abilities so I don’t have to depend on my father’s versions of lessons. What you said about the landing helped so much. I could feel the difference. In two minutes, you helped me improve on something I’ve been working on for months.”

Lex takes a deep breath at the thought that he can be as of much help to Clark as he knows Clark can be to him. “So…together. You and me against them?”

Using his hold on Lex’s hand, Clark pulls Lex down for a lingering kiss, and then smiles up at him. “Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. I like the sound of that.”


End file.
